We laughed til our tears ran down our legs

as the saying goes (love that one BTW Dee). I think I can speak for all of us when I say how much fun we had this past weekend. We made new friends, reunited with some old pals, ate, drank, made merry and even managed to get some scrapping done in between. We never did get an entire group picture but there were 15 of us playing hard and laughing our asses off.

This Cheeky Chicks crop was held at Marina Cove resort in St. Pete Fl where you will find us all again in April, God willing. The resort is beautiful , the rooms spacious and clean and we all felt once again that we were on some remote island, not five minutes or less from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
And for those of you who know me so well, this is proof that at least one night I stayed up past 9 pm. Actually, I made it both nights past 11pm.
And then there is the issue of my toothbrush...but that is a tale for another day. Thanks Dee for providing us with the venue to relax, have fun, scrap and laugh...

Fat Tuesday in Dunedin

Jo and I left the guys at home and headed to Mardi Gras in Dunedin. We had very little trouble parking, walked around the vendors and then headed up the trail to Jolli Mons Grill. E and I discovered this place which sits behind my favorite ribbon and fabric store, Rainbow's End, when were were at another Dunedin festival about 2 mo. ago.
Jo and I both had the Sea Burger (two kinds of crab along with shrimp in a cake grilled and on a bun) and the best black beans and rice.
The Mardi Gras in Dunedin is so much fun. While the floats were less this year, some of the golf carts were dressed and decorated to the nines. It is a fun parade and the attendance at the event was huge...I would estimate around the 30,ooo that came last year. There was only one injury when one of the pirates got cut with his own sword.



Although a bit blurry, this photo is for Clare, who loves a man in a skirt...er, ah kilt!
And, by the end of the evening, my two strands of beads (and Jo's as well) had quadrupled !
Jo is Rob's god mother and we were able to meet up with him briefly after the parade.
There were bands and performers everywhere. We stopped to listen to some of the music on our walk back to the car.

We laughed so hard on the ride home that my sides ached clear into the next day. We've already put this on our calendar for the next year and, hopefully , the guys will be up for a walk on the wild side as well.

Spent yesterday organizing and packing for the weekend ahead. Today, Janet M gets in to town around 2pm and she and I head to Posh Scraps in Palm Harbor, Fl. for some retail therapy. We'll head over to visit the grand kids for a bit and then meet up with Jo back at the house. E is cooking something wonderful for our dinner and we hope to be able to video chat with Pam and Clare.

Friday at noon, we meet up with Jacque, Cynthia and Di at Posh to caravan to St. Pete and the Cheeky Chics Weekend Scrap book Retreat. Once there, we'll meet up with Diane, Beth, Maria, Jill and the rest of the gang. There are 15 in our group alone which is just a little under 1/3 the crop! lol. Am really looking forward to this weekend.

Dinner Club at Susie's Feb 18

The usual suspects gathered at Susie and Justin's last Sat. evening for Dinner Club. We meet about every other month, rotating downward from appetizer (Michele and Kevin this month) to sides (Bob), main course (Susie's or whomever has Dinner Club at their house) to desserts and then back to the top.

The person/people who host for main course, set a theme or select a meat, fowl or fish to cook around and everyone else follows suit. This month, Susie selected duck and it was FANTASTIC. I am not a big lover of duck, or at least I was not until I had Susie's. This is the first time ever I have had duck that it was succulent without being gamey or greasy...wow.
Susie served wild rice along with her delectable duck.
Susie has the most charming boxer, Snoopy, who is a sweetie. Her other pup, who has cancer is doing much better on the new meds. We always enjoy an evening with Susie and Justin and their 'kids'.
Bob has become quite the gourmet lately. He served steamed asparagus in butter and made a fantastic sour cream potato dish. Way to go Bob! Next Dinner Club is at his house and he has selected Carribean as his theme.

E made a chocolate cheese cake with a dark chocolate ganache that came close to sending us all into a diabetic coma.

Jo and I are off to Mardi Gras in Dunedin later today. The guys have elected to stay home...Bill leaves Wed. and E's rib is still very painful. The last thing either of them need right now is to get jostled. Since the forecast is for even more people attending than last year's 30,000, it is best they pass this year. We hope to meet up with Rob and some of his friends as we always do. The music starts at 5 and the parade is at 7:30. Will post pics soon.

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

Wed. cropping at Posh Scraps

Di, Cynthia and I cropped at Posh last Wed. (we missed you dear Jacque) and I finished 3.5 layouts...a Wed. record for me. I'd have finished four but I need a larger picture for the 4th. layout than the one I had printed.



Because of E's fractured rib, we did not watch the kids last Wed. so I was able to join the girls for a change. We did go over Friday and Jo gave E a break by coming by. E got to rest his rib. He did refrain from picking up the kids but was able to hold our little grand daughter, Leighton, without pain.

Tonight is Dinner Club at Susie and Justin's. Tomorrow, Jo and I are headed to Clearwater Beach to walk and then meet up with Rob for brunch. Monday night we are having Bill and Jo over for veal picata as Bill leaves Wed. for St. Louis. Tues, Jo and I are heading to Mardi Gras in Dunedin for the parade. Wed. we have our Nana/Papa date with the grands. Thurs, Janet is in town and Jo is coming over for supper and a girls' night for the 3 of us. Friday, Janet and I meet up with Cynthia, Jacque, and Di and head to St. Pete for the Cheeky Chics weekend retreat. So much fun!

A lovely Valentine's Day

Had E not fractured his rib, we had some other plans in mind for our Valentine's Day but it worked out wonderfully, other than his discomfort. We had planned on a late lunch with Bill and Jo to avoid the crowds in the evening and we did still go out to lunch but a bit earlier than we had originally planned.

We wanted to have lunch at the Old School House on Alt. 19 but realized once we got there they are not open on Tues so it was on to Old Town Palm Harbor and had lunch at the Thirsty Marlin.
It was a nice day and we always have fun with Jo and Bill. We are making plans for Bill's last week and it looks like veal picata is on the menu for dinner soon.

E and I stopped at Loggerheadz to wish our Suzie a happy Valentine's day and I made a new friend! Sweet bird!

We switched days with the kids for our Nana/Papa play date that is usually on Wed. Poor E's rib could not stand the exuberant hugs from the little guys. Hopefully, by Friday, he will be doing a bit better and Jo, once again to the rescue, has offered to relieve E. She says her motto is 'will work for food'...lol.
We are also skipping the beach concert tomorrow night. We have dinner club at Suzies this Sat. and I am cropping at Posh Scraps with the girls today.

Hope your Valentine's was a LOVEly one!

We came, we saw, we laughed ourselves silly

Jo and I met up with Janet M in Sarasota yesterday at St. Armand's Circle. We ate at our favorite, The Columbia, toasted our friends and ourselves...Jo and I have 37 more to go to make our goal of 50 this year of our 5oth. anniversary of being pals.
We tried on every blingy thing we could find and even bought a couple (note the flower in my hair that I let Jo and Janet talk me into)lol.

We fondled some statues.

And we snuggled with the locals.

We have decided that growing old is mandatory but growing up is an option we all choose to execute on a daily basis.

Happy Valentine's Day!

They steal my heart on a daily basis

We bring the boys Jello and cottage cheese (sugar free and low fat, of course) and they now know the J-E-L-L-O song...and the wiggle wiggle wiggle when you eat it ! Of course, lately these two fine gentlemen have wanted to be more independent and feed it to themselves...
and the slide...oh my the slide
And our little missy!

'nuff said! lol

Lots going on in our lives. Tomorrow I am teaching the second in a series of tech classes at Posh Scraps in Palm Harbor. This one is on faux backgrounds. Then, in the afternoon, I am heading to Stamp Fest with Jacque and Cynthia, my dear cropping pals. We are going to be missing our darling Di but she has family stuff and we understand.

Sunday, E is cooking Turkish for Jo, Bill and I to finish our culinary tour of our Med cruise. On Monday, Jo and I head south to St. Armand's Circle in Sarasota to meet our Janet for lunch at the Columbia and shopping. Tues we are celebrating St. V day with Jo and Bill and thurs is the Beach Concert at Sunset Park here in Tarpon Springs.

The month continues with Dinner Club at Suzie's on the 18th, Mardi Gras in Dunedin Fl on the 21 and the Cheeky Chics crop in St. Pete on the 24-26th...and I hear we are getting a surprise guest. Janet is hoping to come up the thurs before so she, Jo and I can have dinner ala E and an ol' gals slumber party!

I think Feb. has become my second favorite month

Here comes Peter (or Petunia) Cottontail...

While we were waiting for our eyes to un-dilate after our visit to the eye dr, yesterday, we roamed the mall. And look what we found for our granddaughter, Leighton Kaye. Papa found the pretty little Easter Dress and Nana picked out the bunny outfit. Now to find some cute outfits for the boys.

Another Catch up Post

Our lives have been a whirl wind lately and I've been prone to let the blogs go a bit. I promise to do better soon or at least I hope to.

Isn't this view lovely? It is the view where my sister was put up gratis at the VA hospital in St. Pete, Florida while her boy friend, Dennis, was having a heart procedure done last Wed. and Thurs. A friend brought them up from Ft. Myers as Janet could not ride in the van the VA would provide. They spent their first night in a hotel paid for by the VA and he was checked in the next day, Wed. I went to the wrong VA (I am now familiar enough with Tampa to be a cab driver btw) but found the right place eventually and it is beautiful

This is Fisher House, which is across the street from the VA hospital and within walking distance. There is a shuttle service that runs until about 3:30 pm each day. My sister was offered free accommodations at Fisher House. It is (and I could be wrong) privately funded and staffed by volunteers. It is like a Ronald Mc Donald house for the families and friends of vets who are receiving in hospital care which Dennis was. He ended up having a stint put in and an angioplasty done .

This, as I said, is a beautiful place. The grounds are immaculate, the staff friendly and helpful and the care, according to Dennis, excellent.

My sister and I got lunch in the Canteen and then ate it out here in a lovely courtyard.


I know we all gripe about our taxes but in this case, I no longer mind. These vets offered up their lives to protect us and anything we can do, as far as I am concerned, to make their lives easier is my tax dollars well spent. I also know that some of the more recent returning vets have had a horrific time getting their medical and mental needs met. This doesn't seem to be the case at this hospital from what I could tell.

And, yesterday, E and I booked our trip to Australia and New Zealand. It is a full year away but we could not pass up the sweet deal we got, thanks to our dear friend, JO (yes! the very same Jo who got us the unbelievable pkg to the Med a year ago). For the same price as a lower level balcony room, we got a free upgrade to a balcony suite with an extra large balcony, all the amenities that go with the upgrade which include things like cocktail parties, fresh flowers daily, champagne, preferred seating at dinner, and early boardings. We also got cruise paid gratuities, a dinner in the upscale restaurant of our choice on the cruise line and more. Oh, and on board credits as well. Because we got the insurance now, we also got what was called the Bling Bonus...I have $260.00 to spend at one of my favorite on line jewelry places, which is what the insurance cost us. Guess it pays to buy ahead, huh?

Making plans to hopefully connect with an on line friend in Melbourne, Helen, whom I've "known" for at least ten years and we will spending a week at the other end with our beloved Clare. Counting the months since there are far too many days.